1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to telecommunication equipment. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to dynamic thermal management of laser devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Thermoelectric cooling (TEC) devices are commonly used in the medical industry, the recreation (i.e. camping) industry, the transportation industry, and the telecommunication industry, to name a few. TEC devices use the Peltier effect to create a heat flux between the junction of two different types of materials. More specifically, TEC devices transfer heat from one side of the device to the other side of the device (from hot to cold), with the consumption of electrical energy. The effectiveness of the TEC device at moving heat is dependent upon the amount of current provided.
In the telecommunication industry, a TEC device is typically used to maintain a constant temperature, such as 25 C, of a telecommunication component or equipment. The TEC device is configured to maintain the constant temperature by utilizing a fixed set point which relates to the telecommunication component or equipment. For instance, if the telecommunication component is a pump laser, then the TEC set point is fixed in relation to the temperature where the pump laser is reliable.
Although TEC devices are an effective means to maintain a constant temperature in the component, a problem arises when the operating conditions in a controlled environment, such as a Central Office (CO), deteriorate due to failure of cooling equipment, such as fans or air-conditioners. The ambient temperature can be much higher than normal operating conditions and the TEC device is required to work harder to maintain the constant temperature (i.e. fixed set point). As previously noted, the current consumption of TEC is proportional to the temperature difference between the TEC set point and the ambient. With a higher ambient temperature, this leads to higher power having to be dissipated into the CO environment, which subsequently may lead to a “thermal runaway” condition. As a consequence, the system that includes the component usually must be shut down in order to protect the system from further damage, which results in an increase in operational expense.
There is a need, therefore, for an effective method and system for dynamic thermal management of a device. There is a further need, therefore, for an effective method for dynamically controlling a TEC set point in order to minimize damage to a system.